The present invention relates to a method of treating a bone fracture. More particularly the invention concerns a method of treating a bone fracture to minimize the formation of fibrous adhesions between the healing bone and adjacent surrounding tissue.
Injury to tendons and bones as a result of crushing or lacerating trauma requires special therapy following the preliminary wound healing. Typically, surgical repair of damaged tendons and fractured bones is followed by immobilization of the repair site for a period of 4-6 weeks. A problem associated with the healing process following setting of a bone fracture often arises at the interface of the growing bone and the adjacent tendons, muscles, nerves, and other surrounding tissues. Sharp, jagged, irregular bone edges ordinarily forms in the area of the fracture during the healing process. Bony spurs promote the growth of fibrous adhesions between the bone fracture surface and surrounding tissue. These adhesions may reduce or hinder the normal movement of the area of repair by restricting the natural movement of tendons over the adjacent bone. Moreover, the ingrowth of adhesions into surrounding nerve fibers may disrupt the transmission of impulses along the nerve fiber with a resultant diminution of sensory or motor function.
Various attempts to minimize the fibrous adhesions have met with only limited success. Conventional therapy involves the application of passive motion to the affected area during the healing period. If adhesion formation is severe, then a second surgical operation, tenolysis, is often required to remove the adhesions. These remedies offer only temporary relief from the deleterious effects of the adhesions, and these remedies do not prevent the formation of more adhesions subsequent to application of the relief. Therefore, a need exists for a means of inhibiting the formation of fibrous adhesions between bone fractures and the surrounding tissue during the healing process.